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OPBL - revenue +310% and net income +859% in 4Q!

Optionable Reports Record Results for the 2006 Fourth Quarter and Full Year
Tuesday February 6, 4:01 pm ET
Revenue and Net Income Increase to All Time Highs

VALHALLA, N.Y., Feb. 6 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Optionable, Inc. (OTC Bulletin Board: OPBL - News), a leading provider of natural gas and other energy derivatives brokerage services, announced today record results for its fourth quarter and year ended December 31, 2006. The Company said that revenues increased 310 percent for the fourth quarter and 177 percent for the full year compared to prior-year periods, and net income reached all-time highs, increasing 859 percent for the fourth quarter and 393 percent for the full year compared to prior-year periods.

Revenues for the fourth quarter ended December 31, 2006, were $6.8 million, with net income of $2.5 million, or $0.05 per diluted share, up from $1.7 million in revenue, and net income of $262,769, or $0.01 per diluted share, for the fourth quarter of 2005. Operating margin increased to 58 percent for this year's fourth quarter up from 19 percent for the fourth quarter of 2005. The weighted average number of diluted common shares used in the computations was 53,020,901 and 51,750,647 for the fourth quarter of 2006 and of 2005, respectively.

Commenting on the results, Optionable CEO Kevin Cassidy said, "2006 was a benchmark year for us, with the launch of our electronic trading platform, OPEX®, as well as our Analytics service. We're particularly happy with these results as they are due almost entirely to our customers' positive response to the innovative and impeccable service we delivered to them. These results also demonstrate a very healthy and largely untapped market for our derivative brokerage services.

"The results for the quarter and the year were driven primarily by our voice-brokerage and open outcry service; however, OPEX, which we launched in July 2006, is beginning to add to our overall revenue mix. We expect that the efficiency of OPEX in executing trades, will cause its contribution to revenue to become a substantial portion of the mix as we progress into 2007 and even 2008, particularly as we begin to open up the market for our services."

Cassidy continued, "We intend to build on the success we've enjoyed to date, adding products and services beyond our capabilities in the energy derivative market and Analytics. We intend to look at expanding our relationship with NYMEX, and increase the traction of OPEX. In short, there are a number of strategic opportunities in front of us and we will examine each one thoroughly and carefully in order to continue building Optionable into a force in the derivatives brokerage business.

"During the past year we experimented with releasing the number of contracts traded on a monthly basis, but at this point we feel the information is more meaningful when it is part of a quarterly earnings release."

Revenues for the year ended December 31, 2006, were $16.1 million, with net income of $6.2 million, or $0.12 per diluted share, up from $5.8 million in revenues with net income of $1.3 million, or $0.02 per diluted share. Operating margin increased to 52 percent for 2006, up from 26 percent for 2005. The weighted average number of diluted common shares used in the computations was 52,559,445 for 2006 and 51,524,732 for 2005. As of December 31, 2006, the Company had cash and cash equivalents of $7.9 million.

The Company announced in January 2007 that three of its founding stockholders executed a binding term sheet for an agreement with NYMEX Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: NMX - News; "NYMEX") concerning certain cooperative technology initiatives, the acquisition of a 19 percent stake in Optionable by NYMEX from its three founding stockholders and Optionable's issuance to NYMEX of a warrant which would permit it to increase its ownership in Optionable.

The Company also announced in January 2007 that due to its rapid growth, it re-located its headquarters to larger facilities in Westchester County.